Lecture Series - Online
Please join us as BC Beyond Lifelong Learning presents our Fall 2025 Lecture Series!
The purpose of this series is to provide lifelong learning opportunities with Boston College faculty and administrators on a wide variety of topics, including local and world history, science, technology, social issues, the arts, and more. We are pleased to offer a series of lectures and conversations each Fall and Spring semester to Boston College alumni, friends, and community members.
Fall 2025 Lecture Series - Online
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET
- Online participants are required to have a computer with video and audio capability.
- Please note: all registrants are required to log in to Zoom prior to accessing the Zoom link for the program. Instructions on how to create a Zoom account can be found here.
- All programs offered online via Zoom will be recorded; recordings will be available to registrants for two weeks following each lecture.
- These programs have a maximum capacity to allow for participant engagement.
Registration Options:
- Register for individual lectures for $15 each or register for the entire lecture series for $90.
Register
Register early to avoid disappointment!
Online via Zoom, 11:00 am to 12:30 pm
Presenter: Aleksandar (Sasha) Tomic
In 1891, Pope Leo XIII's encyclical, Rerum Novarum, confronted the social fractures of the Industrial Revolution. Today, we face a similar pivotal moment with the rise of Artificial Intelligence. This lecture explores the striking parallels between the industrial age and our algorithmic one, asking a familiar question: How do we harness technological progress for the benefit of all, without undermining the human connections that sustain our communities?
Drawing on economics and history, this lecture examines how leadership decisions determine whether technology complements human capabilities or simply displaces them. We will explore an “ABC” framework—Accountability, Benefits, and Community—for guiding digital transformation. Join us for a crucial discussion on how we can deploy technology to amplify human capability and ensure the digital economy serves people, not the other way around.
Online via Zoom, 11:00 am to 12:30 pm
Presenter: Lorelle Semley
How do we talk about Africa and the African diaspora in today’s political landscape? We recognize that the history of Africa and the African diaspora is more than an American history; it is a global one. There are stories of migration, nation-building, and social movements that help explain the world in which we are all living together today. As an academic field of study, it is replete with lessons about the dangers of polarization. Its writers and icons explore multiple forms of protest, cooperation, and creative thinking while exemplifying the refusal to be silenced. Engaging with the global African diaspora as a social reality and through intellectual inquiry helps us understand the past and our present. How might it help us navigate our futures?
Online via Zoom, 11:00 am to 12:30 pm
Presenter: Daniel Kanstroom
We live in a world of massive human movement across borders. In 2024, there were some 304 million global migrants, double those in 1990. Migration is “a defining feature of our globalized world”. But it is poorly managed (if managed at all), legally anomalous, chaotic, and—for millions of people—dangerous. No contemporary dilemma has spawned more overstatement, inspired more hypocritical posturing, posed more profound dilemmas, or had more tragic consequences. As a UN Report laconically put it, “something in our globalized society is not working.” There are many reasons for this; but among the most fundamental are anachronistic global understandings of sovereignty, rights, and law. We need new thinking that builds on our best ideals and traditions, as opposed to our worst impulses and fears.
Online via Zoom, 11:00 am to 12:30 pm
Presenter: Gerardo Blanco
The Center for International Higher Education (CIHE) brings together researchers and policymakers from diverse fields to advance higher education systems and institutions through rigorous research, critical analysis, and ethically informed policy and practice. Since 1995, Boston College has been leading the field of international higher education globally and providing informed perspectives for international education in the United States.
As the flow of international students and scholars feels the impact of geopolitical shifts and new global hubs emerge around the world, CIHE provides data, analysis, and expertise on crucial questions regarding international education. This lecture will provide an overview of the Center’s role and prospects for the future of a changing and more fragmented world.
Online via Zoom, 11:00 am to 12:30 pm
Presenter: Anqi (Angie) Chen
Most retirees will need some form of long-term care as they get older. However, needs range widely from merely needing help with chores and finances to around-the-clock, highly supervised care. While retirees may not know what group they will end up falling into, knowing their risks, what options are available, costs of various options, and potential backup plans is an essential part of retirement planning. This lecture will cover three studies on LTC Risks and Misperceptions.
Online via Zoom, 11:00 am to 12:30 pm
Presenter: Patricia McCoy
Today, fully half of American households lack sufficient income to meet their basic needs. They need additional financial lifelines, including a higher minimum wage and better unemployment insurance. In this lecture, Professor McCoy will explore these and other ways to provide lower-income households with economic well-being.
Lifelong Learning Program Testimonials
-“I found every one of the lectures well presented and interesting… The variety of topics is important. I am very impressed with the quality of professors at BC.”
-“I welcome the lectures you offer because it keeps me updated on many topics as well as connected to Boston College. Learning is a lifetime adventure.”
-“I thought all the lecture topics and all the speakers were excellent. I liked the range of topics, the preparation of the speakers, the clear presentations, the information provided, and the opportunity for questions. I believe that I came away with new knowledge and perspectives.”
-“The speakers all had great presentations and the attendees had great comments and questions!”
About the Presenters
Program Pricing
General Admission
General Admission for the Lecture series is as follows:
Register for individual lectures for $15 each or register for the entire series for $90.
No discounts are available.
General Information:
You must be 18 years old to participate in the BC Beyond Lifelong Learning Lecture Series. All sales are final; we are not able to offer refunds. Registrations may not be transferred to another person or to another course, workshop, or program.
Online registration is required to participate in the program. The fee for individual lectures is $15 each; the fee for the entire lecture series is $90 to be paid by debit or credit card. Registrations will be processed upon receipt of payment. Payment is due in full in order to enroll.